Method of improving fermented beverages and product obtained thereby



Patented May 31, 1949 METHOD OF IMPROVING FERMENTED BEVERAGES AND PRODUCT OBTAINED THEREBY James S. Wallerstein, New York, N. Y., Eduard Farber, New Haven, Conn, and Ralph T. Alba, New York, N. Y., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Wallerstein Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York No Drawing. Application August 12, 1944,

Serial No. 549,298

12 Claims. (CI. 99-52) This invention relates to a method of improving fermented beverages of mildly acid nature derived at least in part from cereals, like beer, ale, porter and stout, particularly with respect to their stability, appearance and taste.

It is known to treat fermented cereal beverages like beer with various proteolytic enzymes either before or after the bottling in order to modify or decompose those components which, while so1u-' agitation, and particularly on subjection to changing temperatures, as to repeated chilling and warming.

The present invention provides a method of accomplishing results similar to those obtained heretofore by the use of proteolytic enzymes but to a more thoroughgoing extent; so much so that beverages treated in accordance with the invention can withstand conditions, such as chilling to very low temperatures and even to actual freezing without loss of brilliance where the enzymatically treated beverages would show clouding and precipitation. The present invention aims further to provide a method of improving fermented beverages by the use of inexpensive material and especially of a material which can be recovered during the process and regenerated for further use. It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of improving beverages of the type indicated which can be carried out in a very short period of time and which can be put into effect during the normal course of manufacture of the beverage, and involves no disturb-' ance or change in the particular method of brewing and after treatment which may be employed in any particular brewery.

According to the present invention a beverage, either during the fermentation or afterwards and before the bottling, is subjected to the action of a water-insoluble form of lignin in order to remove, among others, those substances which are irreversibly precipitated on repeated chilling, or on freezing, of the fermented beverage. The action of the lignin is quite rapid, and the treatment does not materially increase the time involved in the brewing process as a whole.

In our co-pending application entitled Stabilized fermented beverages and method of manufacturing same, Serial No. 549,297, filed simultaneously with the present application and subsequently substituted by application Serial No. 584,733, filed March 24, 1945, there is described a process for eliminating from fermenting or fermented beverages certain substances which cause 2 clouding on repeated chilling and warming by the use of a water-soluble form of lignin. Application Ser. No. 549,297 has now become abandoned, and application Ser. No. 584,733 has matured into Patent No. 2,470,006, May 10, 1949. It is probable that certain of the undesirable substances in the beverage are removed by both forms of lignin, i. e., the water-soluble and the water-insoluble forms. We have found, however, that the water-insoluble form of lignin precipitates certain additional undesirable substances which affect the taste and flavor of the beverage, which substances are not precipitated by the water-soluble forms of lignin. Also, whereas the action of the water-soluble form of lignin is probably chemical in nature, at least to a major extent-that of the water-insoluble lignin appears to be a large extent physical, namely, that of adsorption; it is possible, however, that the insoluble lignin is able to form insoluble molecular complexes with certain of the dissolved components of the beverage which are I unaffected by the water-soluble lignins.

We have found further that in addition to removing those colloidal or other substances which cause clouding or haze on chilling, the use of the I invention are those derived industrially from the acid hydrolysis of wood, for example, the residue remaining after the solubilization of the cellulose and other carbohydrates by strong mineral acids, like hydrochloric or sulphuric; such forms of lignin are commonly produced from birch, pine, spruce and other species of wood. It is advantageous to add these water-insolubl ,lignins to the fermented wort during the storage period during which time the lignin can be made to permeate the whole body of liquid, the insolubles being removed at the end of the storage. Such a treatment removes proteins and other substances of unknown nature which are responsible for the haze and turbidity formation in the finished beverage.

It is of advantage to activate the lignin before rating-armament: by heating first alkali solution, such as 'dilutesodlum hydroxide solution, and then inacidsolu'tion, as in'dilute 1 hydrochloric acid, and thereafter washing it free of acid. By thistreatment the lignin is also freed of any-soluble componentsthat it might contain, so that these-are not left behind in the beverage.

The amount of'lignin to be employed will de-- haze or deposit any pend upon the amount of matter which any'par- I ticular fermented liquor will requirefto benre-,.

moved to. insure: a clear and brilliant appearance at all times. 'I'heamount will vary with thechar into intimate contact with ja water-insoluble'and acter of the cereal from which the beverage is brewed;. and the requlred'amount can' be deter-, minedby simple experimentvfor anyparticularcase. 'However, in .viewof the insolubility of the lignin, the use of an excess will work no harm.

The insoluble lignin may also be added during the-kettle boil following mashing, and will thus make possible a cleaner and purer fermentation.

Treaiment of the liquor with water-insoluble 1 lignin is ,of particular advantage where wheat is employed as the brewing material'and the tendency to haze and turbidity formation is especially pronounced. It can-be employed in conjunction agesof mildly acid nature derived from cereals and containing normally organic components of proteinaceous nature which are soluble in mildly acid medium but are capable of causing turbidity on changes oftemperature, comprising. bringing the; beverage at any stage during its-manufacture acid-insoluble. lignin remaining after acid-hydroly'zing the carbohydrates "ofwood,-while maintaining the-pHvalue vof the beverage liquor' in the acid. range, and therebyforming an insoluble complex of the ligninwith said components, and separating thebeverage from said complex.

2. The method of improving fermented beverages of mildly acidnature derived from cereals and normally containing organic components of vproteinaceous nature which are soluble in-mildly acid medium but are capable of causing turbidity on changes of temperature, comprising mixing with treatment with chill-proofing enzymes in accordance with-known procedures, in which case only very small quantities of the'insoluble'lignin will be required. It may similarly be employed after apre-treatment with water-soluble lignins in accordance with the process described in the above-mentioned application. a

Treatment of the'liquor before, during or after fermentation with the insoluble lignin has been found by actual test to render the beverage completely stable against prolonged and repeated chilling and heating, and as already indicated, even against actual freezing. and also against prolonged agitation. The beverage is rendered less sensitive to the presence of heavy metals, most notably tin, which may cause turbidities in a concentration of one part to one hundred million. This is of special significance in view of the marketing of beverages like beer for home use in metal containers. One of the important features of our invention resides in the fact that the treating agent, namely the water-insoluble lignin,

maybe re-utilized after regeneration in a manner similar to that used for its original activation, that is, by treatment with alkali followed by treatment with acid and washing.

It will be understood that where we speak of a Water-insoluble lignin we have reference also to one which is insoluble also under the slightly acid conditions existing in a fermented liquor.

In the followin example a preferred procedure is described in detail for purposes of illustration.

Example and stirring the beverage at any stage during its manufacture into intimate contact with a waterinsoluble and acid-insoluble lignin remaining after acid-hydrolyzing the carbohydrates of wood,

while maintaining thepI-I value of'the beverage liquor in the acid range, and thereby forming an insoluble complex of the lignin with said components, and separating the beverage from said complex. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the beverage is one derived from wheat. 4. The product of the process of claim 1. 5. The method according to claim 1, in which the lignin is added to the fermented beverage at the beginning of storage and removed 'at the moved as .by filtration, and the beer treated in.

the usual manner.

The resulting finished beverage has a good foam and fine flavor. from the same beer without thetreatment ac-. cording to the. invention, it does not develop any In contrast to a control made end of storage.

6. The method according to claim 1, in which the lignin is first activated by treatment with hot 9. The method of improving fermented bever ages of mildly acid nature derived from cereals and normally containing organic components of proteinaceous nature which are soluble in mildly acid medium but are capable of causing turbidity on changes of temperature, comprising bringing the beverage after the fermentation thereof into intimate contact with a water-insoluble and acidinsoluble lignin remaining after acid-hydrolyzing the carbohydrates of wood and thereby forming an insoluble complex of the lignin with said components, and separating the beverage from said complex.

10. The method of improving fermented beverages of mildly acid nature derived from cereals and normally containing organic components of proteinaceous nature which are soluble in mildly acid medium but are capable of causing turbidity on changes of temperature, comprising mixing and stirring the beverage at any stage during its manufacture into intimate contact with approximately 0.2% of its weight of the water-insoluble lignin remaining afteracid-hydrolyzing the carbohydrates of wood and thereby forming an insoluble complex of the lignin with the said com- 5 v 1 v 6 ponents and separating the beverage from said Number Name Date complex. 2,200,784 Wallace May 14, 1940 11. The product of the process of claim 9. 2,223,753 Wallerstein Dec. 3, 1940 12. The product of the process of claim 10.- 2,269,315 Nelson et al. Jan. 6, 1942 I JAMES S. WALLERSTEIN. 5 1 39 Nelson Feb- 11, 1947 EDUARD FARBER. OTHER REFERENCES RALPH ALBA "Water Treatment, Article in Chemical Trade REFERENCES CITED Journaland Chemical Engineer, January 16, 1942, page 70.

The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name I Date 1,427,682 Graham Aug. 29, 1922 2,080,138 Krebs May 11, 1937 2,108,317 Miller Feb. 15, 1938 by A. Rogers, 3d ed., Nostrand Co., New

Industrial Chemistry, 1921, published by D. Van York, N. ,Y., page 940.

The Chemistry of Wood, by Hawley and Wise, 1926, published by Chemical Catalog Co., Inc.,

New York, N. Y.,' pp. 44, 45, 47, '79. 

